Pro Products, Tools & Gear Vol. 2

Do you reach a zen-like state running a well-designed tool that executes its job perfectly? Do you geek-out when you find that perfect problem-solving product that simplifies your working-life easier? And do you get a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside working with a high-quality building material that actually lives up to the manufacturer’s claims? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll want to check out these new products, tools & gear along with genuine recommendations for from real pros working in the jobsite trenches.

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The Equipter RB4000

Talk about a great way to dispose roofing materials. This is the Equipter RB4000, it has a 12ft lift to get close to the roofline, a 4ft rollback to get closer to the building and position the bed over flowerbeds/bushes. It’s towable, plus self-propelled once removed from a truck. They say the weight is evenly distributed so it won’t leave tire marks on the grass, but I’m sure that’s weather dependent. I can also see this being beneficial if you do a lot of demo & set it in front of a door or window. I’ve only seen one other type of trailer like this; whether you’re renting or buying, this Equipter seems to be worth the money

Cabinet maker’s file

There are probably a dozen ways to do this, but this is how I usually do roundovers on the ends of narrow stock like these legs. Just like planing roundovers on long grain corners, I start by creating an increasing number distinct facets and then remove them. The difference is I’ve taken to doing it with rasps, starting with a coarse Shinto, and working my way down to a cabinet maker’s file. I feel like I have greater control this way and blowing out the corner is nearly impossible compared to a plane with so little surface area to register the sole of the plane off of.

A little finesse with some sandpaper and it’s ready to go. I find there is *just* enough variability in the result not to look like it was machined, which is a look I very much prefer.

Woodworking shoes

Us woodworkers are often guilty of trying to optimize everything to the point of absurdity. For instance, I just got “woodworking shoes”. Of course, they aren’t advertised as such, but they function as such. They don’t have nooks and crannies to gather sawdust on the uppers or the soles, and even if they did get too dirty to wear into the house, they’re slip-on/off. That way, my wife won’t get irritated by me tracking shavings through the house. That said, despite being slip-on they’re snug enough that my feet don’t slide around inside them while hand planing (warning: shoe horn may be required). Footwear: optimized.

The ultimate portable road

We are cranking out 100 feet of portable road set up in 60 seconds. This site is soft black dirt- I know because it’s my yard. Without this road I would have got stuck. This could also be used to go through loose sand or protect yards from ruts.

I’m always wearing @smithopticssunglasses to protect my forehead and eyes. I’ve never had a pair of sunglasses last even close to as long as these. These are on my head all day everyday, I’ve dropped them, stepped on them and had them fall 30’ off a ladder, and not even a scratch on the lenses.I need good sunglasses, my contacts are so strong it makes everything brighter. And these make everything crisp. I’m not telling you this because they are giving me any or might be. I’m saying this because these just may be my best purchase in years. They aren’t cheap but the cheap ones scratch the first day and I’ve had other expensive ones fall short in just a few months.